To Do This Right
by Shadow-Phoenix-Rider
Summary: Captain Zavvi and Corso Riggs have begun their quest for an old gangster's treasure on Taris. However, Corso has also begun his own quest to try begin to woo the wily smuggler...This will be a two parter, will not follow the smuggler storyline on Taris exactly.
1. Honesty

"Taris! Oh, Zavvi! Go to Taris for me! It'll be fun!" Captain Zavvi spat out sarcastically, Tarisian rain drumming on her skin and dripping down her sodden clothes. "Just go talk Beyrl Thorne, she'll have everything sorted for you! She won't make you walk in the sodding rain and mud to deliver some shit and oh! Don't mind the rakghouls, it's not as if they bite and infect you and turn you into a raging bloodthirsty psychopath!" The Twi'lek raged to her companion, who resigned himself to listening to her rant, feeling thoroughly soggy and waterlogged himself. His underarmour held the water like a sponge, making his skin cold and damp, and increasing the weight he had to lug around.

Corso shook his head as a raindrop fell directly into his eye, grunting as his durasteel boots squelched into the mud.  
"Captain, any chance we can find some shelter?" He asked, tugging at the clinging earth. "We'd have better luck against them rakghouls if we find a place to rest a while."  
Zavvi glanced back to him, water running down her lekku and making them shiver. He had a point; they were wearing out slowly, and when they were tired, they'd be prime prey for the savage beasts. She nodded to him.  
"Aye. I'm afraid we might have to take cover in a sewage pipe, though." She told him, to his grunt of annoyance.  
"One of these days, Captain, I'm gonna roll in daisies for a while and come back smelling nice fer once!" Zavvi couldn't resist a chuckle at the image of him rolling around in a patch of brightly coloured flowers. Then her mind changed the context of his wriggling, which sent a tight stab through her, and she looked away to hide her blush.  
"What, like some kind of reverse kath hound?" She asked him, forcing another chuckle to hide her embarrassment.  
"Maybe, but I'll feel better."  
"You do know Risha will tease you to death if you've got flowers poking out the gaps in your armour, don't you?" She grinned. "Or you'll have petals all over the place, or maybe you'll turn a fine shade of pink. It would suit you..."

That devilish remark managed to provoke Corso's humour, despite his sodden state.  
"I don't think so Captain. My little sister tried that long ago, an' it didn't work." He grinned back, dreadlocks plastered to his face. "But I think you'd look real nice with somethin' pink on ya..."  
"You're on dangerous ground, mister." The Twi'lek challenged, prodding his chestplate. "Pink is not a colour I'm associated with, and I'm going to keep it that way." Corso tried to ignore how her wet clothing clung to her skin.  
"If you say so, Captain." He grinned back, forcing his eyes to keep looking at hers.  
"That I do." She smirked, before turning around to scout their surroundings. As they moved off again, she noticed his eyes flick downwards briefly. She bit back a smirk.

* * *

They eventually found shelter in large, broken pipe, a large tree and its roots holding it squarely in place and its canopy keeping most of the ground beneath dry and solid. Corso inspected the ground around the pipe, worried that it had become a rakghoul burrow in the meantime, but found nothing to suggest it had a lodger, so they gathered gratefully under its metal roof, happy to be out of the rain. They sat down, heaving out sighs of relief.  
"Ugh, nothing'll dry in this nonsense." Zavvi grumbled, shivering slightly. "And we can't even take our clothes off as nakedness isn't a good defence against rakghouls, or so I'm told." She smirked as Corso flushed red.  
"N-no, it isn't, Captain." He replied haltingly, before swallowing hard. "Gonna be difficult to find anythin' that'll burn too. Unless the tree shaded some tinder..." He murmured, brown eyes skimming over the grass.  
"Well, you're the one with the skills not to die out here." She said, with a little smile. "As in, find stuff that'll burn in this godforsaken mud planet." He smiled back warmly.  
"Sure thing, Captain." He got up again, skirting along the dry border to look for sticks and other things they could set alight. Zavvi took the time to watch his posterior lazily, admiring his form and wishing he wasn't armoured down there, though if anything, it sparked her imagination more, and she couldn't stop reminding herself that the black underarmour was tight against his skin, and-

"Captain?" Corso was grinning at her with great amusement that made her light blue skin darken in a blush. "You seem a million miles away. You alright?" The slight chuckle to his tone made her feathers ruffle.  
"I'm fine, farm boy!" She replied, tossing her nose to the air. "But I'm going to freeze to death if we don't get a fire going soon!"  
"I'm working it, Captain." He said, returning to his work. She sulkily refused to look at him.

After a little while, Corso had nursed a small flame into taking root in the less damp bracken he'd found, and now the fire was burning comfortingly, its light and warmth gratefully accepted.  
Both were glad for the respite, Corso unclipping some of his platings to take the weight from his shoulders and let the armour behind it dry as well. Zavvi noted the tight muscles she could glimpse through the black material, but kept her eyes and thoughts to herself, watching the flames flicker and leap, the rain still hissing down outside their little bubble.  
Neither spoke for a while, too tired and enjoying the silence that had settled except for the ambient noises of weather and animals off in the distance. Zavvi had to admit, at a time like this, Taris seemed beautifully, wonderfully wild, and she admired the fact it was a jungle that was reclaiming the trappings of civilization, taking back what it was owed. That is, she could enjoy it more than those rakghouls, which ruined the atmosphere and made her worried for not only her safety, but her partner's too.  
Not that she'd let him know that, of course.

"Captain." The Twi'lek turned her head to Corso, who was looking into the flames rather distantly. His arms rested on his knees, hiding his mouth. The flares danced in his brown eyes.  
"Corso?" She wondered if he'd just being thinking out loud, but his eyes flicked up and focused on her.  
"I need to tell you something." He said, then sighed, long and drawn. His eyes were outside. That tree root was fascinating.  
"Tell me what?" Trepidation crept into her tone, her heart beginning to quicken. A memory of an old horror holofilm flickered into her head and she felt a hand creep towards Flashy, and she felt the irony twist her stomach. _Calm down, I'm sure it's nothing serious, don't panic,_her mind mumbled uncertainly.

The pause was long and agonising, and she noticed the human was looking everywhere but not at her. She was tempted to command him to spit it out, but restrained herself. He swallowed hard, and she saw his throat scars ripple over the movement like waves.  
"I...I had a fiancée, Captain." He said, and her eyes widened.  
"Why are you telling me this, Corso?" She asked, wide eyes beginning to narrow and her hackles began to raise, but paused as the young man flinched at her tone.  
"Well, I though you needed to know..." He was fidgeting. "Just in case..."  
"Just in case of what?"  
"Look, Captain, afta I came back from the Brigade, I couldn't go back to the farm proper. I got into arguments with my parents more, we kept disagreeing about guns an' stuff..." She was watching him with much interest. "I dunno why, but they decided it was time fer me to settle...To get ready t' take over the farm." The smuggler blinked widely.  
"Was it..." He looked to her for the first time in a while, and his eyes were dull.  
"Yeah. It was." Now he was looking back down to his muddied boots. "Ariane, her name was. Real pretty, an' nice." He shook his head. "It weren't fair on her. I never felt anythin' for her, Captain. Nothing more than liking her, of course." He added hurriedly. "I tried my best to treat her well; it weren't her fault this was happenin', but what else could I do?"

Another long, heavy sigh.  
"Then the seps came. They came an' slaughtered everyone but me." He steepled his hands, fingers pressing into the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed tightly. "I ran, Captain. I left her an' everything behind. I was nothin' to her, so I kept runnin' and never looked back." He shook his head. "I found my way to Viidu, and he took me in." A smile, wistful smile. "For what his job was, Viidu always had a big heart. Tried not to show it, but it was always there..."  
He trailed off, the moment raw and sombre. Zavvi's gaze was steady on him, his was skittish and sad.  
"You never told her it was off?" She asked.  
"No. I figured it would've been better she thought I was dead." He replied, quailing a little.  
"You never told her you didn't love her." This sigh was exasperated.  
"And what would've happened, Captain? I would've upset her, and then neither one of us woulda been happy."  
"And you'd've left it to simmer for her to find out later?" The accusing tone hurt like a brand.  
"Then why do you think I'm telling you this now, Captain?" He cried. "I'm not proud! I never wanted to break her heart! I never wished my parents would die just so I could get out of an arranged marriage!" Now it was the captain's turn to quail, but Corso soon soothed. "I just wanted you to know, Captain. I dunno if she's alive or dead. I hope she's got another fella, one who'll love her."

"You should consider searching for her." He shook his head before she was finished speaking.  
"No, I couldn't...I can't do that to her, not on top of everything else."  
"Corso, look at me." He avoided her. "Corso." The steel in her tone made him glance up, then be held by her light green eyes.

"I'm not happy with you, being frank." His face fell. "You could have treated her a lot better, and my desire right now is to have you track her down, and be her dead or alive, apologise to her." She saw he was very morose, and her heart whined. "However, I can't blame you for too much." He looked up, startled. "You did as best you could do in the situation, and at least you treated her well. And, well..." A sigh. "I can't blame you for thinking straight after...what happened..."

"So I won't make you search for her. You're right, it could end up making everything worse, and I think she's gone through enough already. But if she is alive, if she comes looking for you, or we see her or hear about her, or whatever, you are going to go to her and apologise, do I make myself clear?"  
Corso nodded.  
"Yes, Captain." He replied sincerely.  
There was a brief pause between them, as Corso prodded the fire, before the smuggler spoke again.  
"Thank you, Corso. I mean it." She shifted her boot, crushing sparks beneath her feet. "I don't know many men who'd admit that sort of thing. They'd prefer to keep their skeletons in the closet, to be stumbled upon." Her eyes were on him again, their colour like gems. "So why'd you tell me? Must've been a reason."

Corso threw some more fuel to the fire.  
"Well, you'd find out eventually, so what's the point of hidin' it? Jus' make everythin' worse." He replied. "An' I wanted to do things right this time."  
"Do what things right?"  
"Depends what you think that means." Riggs answered simply, before he waved his hand. "Shall we stay here for the night? I'll take first watch, if that's alright with you."

Her eyes narrowed briefly, but then she snorted.  
"Fine." She said, shuffling into a dark, dry crevice with her sleeping bag. "Wake me up when you're getting tired. And keep that fire going as long as you can. Last thing we want is rakghouls sneaking up on us."  
"Yes Captain." He replied, shifting his position to look out into the rain. Was it his imagination or was it abating? He glanced back to the Twi'lek, who'd curled up, her back to him, and he sighed.  
Was it right to have told her about his fiancee? All it'd seemed to have done was make her unhappy and maybe even dislike him. He prodded the fire, and it crackled sadly at him.

He gazed back out to the rain and noticed something. A yellow glow lit the falling darkness and the rain, soft in its light like a giant firefly. Corso stood up, trying to work out what it was. It was long and thin now, waving and hissing as water turned to steam as it touched the light. He squinted, thinking he could glimpse a robed figure through the murk, the owner of the light. He opened his mouth to call to Zavvi, but then he thought better of it.  
But why? Why here, why in front of him?  
The light moved, but its owner didn't; the glow danced into long trailed patterns typical of a fighting Jedi, but the glow never died as it did when it hit solid matter. He found his eyes following the movement, caught in a dance that made his head feel funny, like tendrils of air were touching his mind, drawing something to the surface like a bird stirring a pool to bring the dirt to the top.  
_  
Corso._  
He started, spell broken.  
"Captain?" He looked towards the Twi'lek, but she was sleeping soundly. It had to be... Corso looked back to the rain Jedi, the lightsaber now stilled. Suddenly, he felt a wave wash over him; calm, peace, serenity infused every nerve and muscle, quietening tension and soothing away stress as he felt the tendrils back in his head, still as gentle as they first were.  
_Have faith, Corso. Like this storm, you must weather her moods. _The voice in his head was kind, almost motherly. _Have faith. I will help you later, I promise. But for now, you must do it on your own. Have faith._

And then it was gone, the voice and tendrils in his head, and he heard the hiss of a lightsaber, and the slap of wind. Corso blinked, looking back out to the forest, seeing the Jedi had left, though the calm feeling she'd given him still remained. And the rain was now little more than weak drizzle, and it wouldn't be long before that too fizzled out. The fire was low, and Corso threw it a few more sticks to keep it satisfied, then settled back down to his watch.

This time, he was smiling.


	2. Bold Declarations

The next morning the rain had stopped, leaving flora glistening with dew and the sweet scent of a fresh, clear air. Birds trumpeted their calls throughout the sky, and Zavvi stirred from her slumber. She rolled over, noticing Corso on his vigil and still caring for his fiery charge, though he was noticeably weary. So was she, but the small snatches of sleep she'd stolen during Corso's watch would sustain her for now, though she wondered if the farm boy would cope. At least the rain had stopped.

"G'morning, Captain." His gravelly voice called to her as she wriggled from her sleeping bag. "Looks like no rakghouls came an' ate us last night." His eyes were fixed to the fire, so didn't see her stretches.  
"Good job, otherwise I woulda fired you!" She chuckled. "Though, I thought I heard you talking to someone last night. Was something wrong?" She asked.  
"Musta been havin' a nightmare." He replied. Zavvi narrowed her eyes.  
"I hope not, 'cos you were on watch when I heard."  
"Oh, yeah, that time..." Corso scratched the back of his neck. "I was eh, talking to Sparky. Gets a little lonely out here on ya own." She frowned at him, before snorting dismissively.  
"Fine, I guess so. I did hear you murmuring in your sleep though. I assume those were dreams, or nightmares?"  
"Probably." He shrugged. "I don't remember much of what happened last night." He looked to her. "What was I sayin'?"

She shifted a little.  
"Mostly stuff I couldn't hear, but you were telling someone to 'get up'..." Her eyebrow raised. "Ring any bells?"  
She noticed his shoulder tense, and he paused a moment to think, prodding the fire some more. Despite his care, it was starting to die down now.  
"I...don't really want to talk about it, Captain." He replied softly, and the Captain nodded. After a beat, he looked towards her with a small smile. "Don't tell me, we've got ration bars for breakfast, haven't we?"  
"I've no idea where you could've got that from..." Zavvi commented. "But yes, you're right. Can't have anything too nice out in the wilderness, can we?" She tossed some over to Corso, who caught them, looking at them disdainfully.  
"Ya know, Captain, we could cook proper food out here..." He began, before she shook her head.  
"Perhaps, but that's extra stuff we have to carry, and I'm not usually roughing it on planets, so it wouldn't get much use outside of this..." She replied, taking a bite. "Hopefully we can get this job done today, or at least get a large chunk of it, as I don't really want to stay here much longer..." She sighed. "But that Saresh woman sure knows her way with words. I couldn't help but wanna help the colonists, ya know. I have the softest heart of any smuggler." Zavvi snorted, then eyed Corso sternly. "Don't you go spreading that around, farm boy!"  
He held his hands up in surrender.  
"I never even thought about it, Captain." He assured her. "Your secrets' safe with me."  
"Better be. Don't want people thinking I'm weak."  
"Well, if they think that, they deserve what they get if you ask me, Captain." Corso said, having already finished his bar. She eyed him a little, before getting up.

"We better get moving, Corso. The next outpost shouldn't be too far I think...Waypoint station Aurek or some silly like that, right?" She spoke, squishing any remaining embers into the dirt.  
"Dunno why you're lookin' at me, Captain, you're in charge!" He chuckled warmly, clambering to his feet. She raised an eyebrow.  
"That shouldn't be an excuse, ya know." Then she grinned. "I'll let you off this time, farm boy, but if you do it again, you'll have to buy me a drink!"  
"Deal, Captain." He grinned back as they set off again.

* * *

The rest of the day was very eventful, ranging from all sorts such as her main errand of acquiring Beyrl Thorne's lost package, delivering it to a weird Zabrak with an obsession with goggles (Corso had pantomimed something rude when his back was turned, and Zavvi had bit her lip hard to prevent herself laughing out loud) and then discovered a smuggling ring for artifacts, with a guy making counterfeits to sell to the Imperials and fool Beyrl (they put a stop to that malarkey), to allowing herself to get bitten by a rakghoul (to which Corso had thoroughly complained about and then had fussed over her like a mother hen all the way to the medical droid) and then getting extremely angry at the doctor who dared tell the Twi'lek that the vaccine was going to the soldiers first, not the people trying to settle on the planet, and threatened to start selling her blood on the black market to them. That caused the growth of a spine in the woman, and when she signed off the holo, the spacer turned to the mercenary, who was grinning almost from ear to ear.  
"Proud of me?" She had asked him as she pushed past roughly (difficult due to the young man wearing durasteel armour).  
"You bet I am, Captain." Had been his reply.

From there, they'd ousted a corrupt official, burnt enough chemicals to make them sick, discretely helped some deserted soldiers leave the planet (she really couldn't blame them for hating it), as well as other little things to help out, before they'd gone venturing into the bowels of Taris's Zone Zero, which was overgrown and full of nasty creatures rumoured to be even more dangerous than rakghouls. She recalled Corso getting attacked by an enormous snake that was large enough to devour the young man easily and still have room for more. Needless to say, they put it down very quickly, though neither questioned what the ominous bulge in its stomach was.

After finding their vault, antagonising Skavak for a while, killing his mercenaries and handing over the chart they'd recovered to Risha, Zavvi decided that she owed Corso and herself a good stiff drink to celebrate and relax, to which he definitely agreed to. Risha stayed on board to drum up their next lead, but she did admit that the Captain deserved her reward (though she was scathing to Corso, as usual).

The cantina by the Olaris spaceport wasn't one of the best, being on a backwater planet full of killer animals, Republic troops and tired colonists, but for the smuggler and mercenary, it would do fine.  
Zavvi would have usually scoped out for the attentions of one of the fitter soldiers in the cantina, but this evening she was too tired and worn through to bother with anything but drinking whatever liquor was set in front of her (though she specifically asked for no vodka) and staring philosophically out into the middle distance. Corso didn't appear to mind, so she continued, though she hoped he'd have the manners to nudge her if she was about to fall asleep.

The Mantellian looked her over, taking the time to appreciate her, admiring the tattoos patterned over her lekku. They were symmetrical, but the patterns didn't seem to have any relevance at all, just there as decoration, nothing more or less, like the ones on her head, cheeks and neck (though the ones on her cheek and neck were the same). He did wonder if she was tattooed anywhere else, but quickly squashed that thought flat, before thinking better of it. This would be a good time to try out what he'd been thinking about for a couple of nights now. He took a breath to settle his nerves and shoulders, letting a smile creep over his lips. _Hope this comes out all right..._

Corso leant a little closer to his Captain, who glanced at him curiously.  
"Work, work, work. Surely there's better ways for a beautiful woman to spend her time? Why don't let me take you off, and show you some fun?" He almost purred as he spoke softly to her.  
Zavvi felt a sly shiver slink down her spine at dark timbre of his voice, full of temptation that she wouldn't mind accepting, but she was also surprised by such a sudden turnaround; sure, she'd caught him glancing at her butt, but so did all the other guys, and she knew he wouldn't dare make a move on her. Well, until now of course. The Twi'lek had always thought of him a gentleman, so this was rather odd to say the least.

She sat upright, looking around the cantina and at him in confusion, one brow raised high.  
"Who are you? Where's Corso? Did I leave him at the spaceport?" She asked.  
"No, I'm right here, gorgeous." He replied, still with that dark tone, smiling confidently. She was surprised again that it didn't faze him, pausing only to conclude that if he wanted to play, she might as well see how far he was going. She smiled at him this time.  
"Well then, have you got something in mind?" A repressed shudder.  
"I figured you, me, a bottle of Corellian red..." His hand drifted outward. "I'm sure we could find a back room here and..."

He closed his eyes and hand, before he forced a sigh, the facade crumbling.  
"Agh...I, I can't do this." His voice returned to its natural state, and Zavvi felt a strange relief, despite a part of her feeling a twist of disappointment. However, she pushed that thought away; more curious as to why he'd done as he had.  
"I was gonna say it didn't sound like you." She said, and his eyes opened, looking at her with a flash of surprise that quickly vanished back to a look of...shame?  
"No, it didn't, did it?" He sighed again, reluctant to meet her eyes. He bit his lip briefly in the awkward silence, but he was talking again before Zavvi could get a word in.

"I've sat up most nights thinkin': 'How do I say this? What does she like?' I'd thought I'd try to be suave, like all those guys who flirt with you whenever we talk to them. But...you get that every day." He was staring intently at his drink. "You deserve better. Someone who'll," he paused, "who'll treat you like a lady."

Even though Zavvi's heart fluttered, she kept aloof as she could.  
"Sorry to disappoint you, Corso, but I'm no lady. You'll have to go back to Ord for them." She said, swirling her drink around in the glass.  
His brown gaze returned to her then, and she was surprised at the warmth in his smile.  
"Being a lady doesn't mean you can't have engine grease on your elbows or a blaster at your hip." He replied softly. "It means you deserve respect. It means you make the decision of who to put up with, and how to be treated." The young man blinked slowly. "No matter what you say, you'll always be that to me."

The retort she was going to say back to him died on her tongue as his words sunk in, her heart almost somersaulting in her chest. Did he...really think of her that way? It wasn't as if Zavvi hadn't gotten flattery from interested parties, but they were mere tools to get her into bed with them, and never meant very much.  
But these, these were proper compliments, and she knew the mercenary meant every word of them, and they touched a part of her that she thought she'd protected from the outside. A part of Zavvi wanted to brush it off, just pretend he was being old fashioned again, but the rest of her couldn't, and she found herself saying softly;

"Are...Are you volunteering then, Corso?" It was a feeble attempt to regain her glib manner, and to her chagrin, she knew he was glimpsing a chink in her armour. Bless him, he didn't seem to jump on it, but she noticed something change in his expressive eyes, something warm like the fire he'd lit for them in the wilderness.  
"Captain," his voice was as soft as hers, "I'm yours if you'll have me." He looked down at his hands. "I don't know how to play those games an' give those gifts an' make you laugh like some guys do." Corso looked back up at her earnestly. "But I'll be here, when all of them are gone. I'll be your man, Captain, anyway you want me. I'm just telling you how I feel though, Captain, I don't expect anything in return." He added. "I just, felt like I needed to get it out there."

_So he does have a crush on me. _Zavvi thought to herself, part of her in wonder, the other cynically commenting; _It's more than that though, isn't it? That kid's head over heels for you. What are you going to do now?_ It sneered, but she crushed the thought. She didn't want to entertain that thought, for whatever reason. _He'll hurt you! You'll regret it!_The cynic sneered, but she shoved it aside. The Twi'lek would figure something out. She'd find a way, though what the way was to do, she wasn't sure.

"Well, Corso, eh, how do you feel about zero-G?" Zavvi was clutching at her flirty persona in a bid to keep her weaknesses from peeking out at him. He smiled and shook his head.  
"Captain, I couldn't be that guy, that fun fling. It's not who I am." Zavvi's traitorous heart fluttered again. "I just think we have a chance to be more, you know?"  
_I thought so..._She didn't know what to find the realization, deciding to hold it back until she could be alone with her thoughts.

Suddenly, Corso's eyes brightened, lighting up with boyish excitement.  
"Hey, Captain, I've got something to show you! But," he grinned, "you'll have to close your eyes."  
Zavvi blinked at this sudden change of tack, but she was pleased he'd moved subjects, and his energy was infectious, curving a grin across her lips.  
"I know a prank when I see one, Riggs, try again!" She chuckled, and he didn't seem offended.  
"I swear this ain't no prank, Captain. But it won't be a surprise if you don't close your eyes." He said to her, his eyes reflecting disappointment and gnawing on her heartstrings. She rolled her eyes in submission.  
"Alright, fine. But this is because I trust you, farm boy! Don't make me deck you one." She huffed, closing her eyes and placing her hands palm up on the table.  
"Don't worry Captain, I'm not stupid enough to get on your bad side." He replied, fishing something from his thigh holster (still bereft of Torchy) and placing it in her hands gently, as if he were worried of hurting her. It had weight to it, and felt remarkably like a blaster pistol.  
"Can I open 'em yet?" Zavvi asked eagerly.  
"Now." Corso replied with a smile.

As her light green gaze fell on the blaster in her hands, Zavvi was struck first by its design, which she'd never seen before, and the fact it was gleaming in the cantina's low lights. Like Flashy, this one had been lovingly taken care of, and her eyes widened at a patch of tiny Aurebesh script in the corner of the hilt, so small and well hidden that only those looking closely at the gun would've seen it. It read 'Zavvi', and though it wasn't the most elegant script she'd seen, the fact it was there was extremely touching. She wondered if that was put there on purpose.  
"This here's a WESTAR-18 bolt pistol." Corso began proudly. "Antique. Custom-made dallorian-alloy exterior. I've been fixing her up for years, I just got her done when you were talking to Risha." She'd remembered him hurrying over to a vendor when they'd returned to the spaceport base and disappearing when they got onboard the ship. So that must have been what he was up to. "She's polished 'til she shines on the inside an' outside, and has the firepower to knock you flat." He smiled. "I call her 'Sparkles'." He said shyly.

Usually, Zavvi would have howled with laughter at such a girly name for a weapon, and the fact this rather manly mercenary had called it such, but way he'd blushed as he'd said the name made her consider him utterly adorable and all thoughts of teasing him flew from her mind. She looked the gun over, turning it gently in her hands.  
"I figured she would make a good team, with you and Flashy." Corso said, watching her intently. She raised an eyebrow at him, smiling.  
"Hey, you too, Corso. I don't think I would've gotten through this planet alive without you watching my back."  
"Thank you, Captain." He replied, blushing bashfully. "I know you don't mean that lightly."

Zavvi nodded, looking down the blaster pistol that had been paired with Flashy. It would be odd, using two weapons that were basically Corso's, but that strangeness would be nothing compared to the quality of the firearms; Flashy had dug them out of a couple of unfriendly situations and had never once let her down, so she had no qualms about switching her current offhand gun with Sparkles. She slid the spare pistol over to Corso.  
"What do you make of this, then? You think it's worth selling?" She asked him, watching his brown eyes and nimble fingers appraise the item.  
"Hmm, she'll need her heter valve cleaned. Looks like some mud got in there when we tackled that snake. But aside from that, she'll fetch a fair amount. Nothin' too much, though, 'cos that'd mean some serious fixing up work, considering you got it off one of them pirates."  
"Fair enough. We can get that done and then pawn it off, 'cos I'm not really into you adding to your gun collection." She gave him a look, one eyebrow raised high.  
"I don't have that many, Captain! 'Sides, Hewie ain't a gun, he's a vibroblade." He retorted, grinning cheekily.  
"Yeah, whatever, farm boy." She grinned back.

* * *

Risha quickly caught the captain's ear when they returned, telling her of their next contact opportunity in Nar Shaddaa, to which she waved off and told Risha calmly she'd get them going in the morning, as the ship needed some supplies (the refuelling had been done after the ship touched down, as Zavvi knew it was always wise to keep a ship's tank topped up), and then they'd set off straight after.

After making sure her ship was locked up and nothing would happen during the night, Zavvi said goodnight to Corso and went to her own quarters, grateful for the time alone.  
She thought about Corso and their time together. She hadn't been lying when she said she appreciated him out there with her, especially against the rakghouls. She didn't think they'd have a peaceful night, all considered; the creatures had made a skittering sound whenever they were nearby, and even the slightest hint of the noise put both smuggler and mercenary on edge, enough to cause nightmares. _I hope Risha's treasure is worth this nonsense._ She thought bitterly. Yet, back to her original topic, she hadn't told him that he was the only man she'd trust to stand back to back with her against a horde of bloodthirsty beasts, and to trust her life with his.  
_Not since my father. _She sighed. _I hope he's doing well. I must call him sometime._

Corso was young, fit, strong (she flushed slightly as she thought of the muscles she'd seen as she'd treated wounds he couldn't reach), undeniably handsome, and he had such a gentle nature. _Most of the time. _She admitted, remembering the coldness in his brown orbs as he'd attacked the separatists merely a couple of days ago.  
That and the fact he'd been groomed to treat ladies like delicate objects that'd break if he breathed too hard on them, and she was starting to glimpse jealousy problems; whenever she flirted with another man (and vice versa), she'd noticed out of the corner of her eye Corso had become tense and while had not yet complained verbally, it had looked like he was going to muscle his way between them at the slightest provocation. She'd have to shut that down before he got too uppity. The protectiveness was already quite annoying without something else to deal with.

_But he's been toning it down recently..._ The Twi'lek thought to herself, pulling her pyjamas out. _And I'd rather him being chivalrous than what the other guys are like...  
_That brought her mind back to both their conversation in the cantina, and the one about his fiancée. The smuggler sat down on her bed for a moment as she realized something. _The only reason he would've told me about his fiancée was if he was interested in me._Her hand reached up and touched her headband, the thing beneath gnawing into her slightly as she remembered it was there, and she shivered, feeling an emptiness that reminded her of the Void.

She forcefully pulled her hand down, clutching the bed sheets with a fierce grip, dragging her mind back to Corso, not that awful chasm in her thoughts.  
Zavvi looked toward her holsters, the pistols nestled inside, resting on her bedside table. Flashy and Sparkles...that was two guns he'd given her now, and she knew the second was no fluke. That was a gift of adoration, and she knew now he had feelings for her.  
_He can't._ Her thoughts whined. _I'll break his heart, he doesn't deserve me. I can't love him. I can't!_

_But you like him._

The matriarchal part of her was back. _You think he's nice, handsome, and you enjoy him being a gentleman to you, don't you? If only a little bit._

_I do, but...What if it's just a ruse? I've seen him look; he could just be doing this to get what he wants!_

_Then why would he tell you about his fiancée he left behind?_ The matriarch said.

Zavvi got up, pacing, her lekku curling slightly towards her as if they were trying to hug her, though their movements were pitiful at best. This hadn't been part of her plan, for the farm boy to fall for her. No, he needed to find someone that wasn't her, that wouldn't break his heart. She couldn't let him get hurt, it wouldn't be fair, he deserved so much mor-

She stopped.  
_You care for him, don't you? _Her more mature self spoke softly.  
_  
He's a naive kid, he doesn't know what he's getting into out here, on my ship. _She replied.  
_  
That 'kid' has been in warzones and saw his entire family slaughtered. You're clutching straws. _The matriarch huffed, and she knew that was right but-  
_  
I don't want to get hurt!_

The realization shook her down to her core, her forehead throbbed and she hugged herself, squeezing her eyes tightly together in a desperate attempt to stop herself crying. Zavvi hadn't felt so vulnerable and exposed for a very long time, and she hated it with all her being. She hated the farm boy, for making herself so unsure. She hated herself, for being so weak and fragile. She hated what had happened those years ago; she hated that nothing was safe. Her body wasn't, her mind wasn't, and now her heart wasn't, thanks to that damn Mantellian. Why did he have to come along?! WHY?!

She punched her pillow, shaking and rubbing her face as she grappled with her emotions. No, no, it wasn't Corso's fault he had a crush on her. Wasn't his fault he had no home, no family to go back to. Wasn't his fault his closest possessions were weapons. Wasn't his fault she had issues. Wasn't his fault. She refused to push the blame onto him.

She looked up to the pictures on the wall, specifically the one of a dark blue Twi'lek with soft brown eyes and in military dress. He was smiling proudly, reassuringly.  
"Dad, I don't know what to do..." She spoke to it, as if she believed it would come alive and help soothe her. And though it didn't do the former, the fact that it was her father did soothe and relax her. She remembered coming home after a bad day at school, and throwing herself down on the bed in a huff, refusing to move.  
Her father had sat beside her, his large hand rubbing her arm reassuringly as he'd said;  
"Have faith, titch. Everything will come right in the end."

_Have faith. Everything will come right in the end.  
_She nodded. Her father was right. There was something his youngest daughter was not, and that was someone who was going to curl up and let the galaxy beat her into a bloody pulp. No. She didn't want to disappoint her father.  
_I don't see Corso a wreck because he lost his family, even though I wouldn't blame him for it. I haven't had anything like that happen to me._ Defiance flooded into her veins and she stood tall. _If he can do it, then Force be my witness, I can too._

Corso's attraction to her was something she could deal with. She'd just need to take the time and not go flying off the handle. She could do that. She hoped.

* * *

The captain and mercenary's sleep wasn't too pleasant that night; Corso woke with a cry in the middle of the night, annoying Risha, but when the morning came and Zavvi got her ship ready to launch, she was feeling ready to take on the galaxy, and no stinking Hutts or thieving Corellians were going to stop her.

But a wayward cousin might...


End file.
